


The Sound of Settling

by StandinShadow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Daemons, Character Study, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Korean Keith (Voltron), Mostly Gen, but having daemons changes some characters' dynamics pretty early on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 07:30:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10271462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StandinShadow/pseuds/StandinShadow
Summary: Drabbles from the Daemon AU I've been planning with the wonderful Battleships. A Daemon!AU (meaning everyone has a talking animal companion that is a living manifestation of their soul) exploring how each Paladin reacts to their Daemon settling and what it says about them as a person.





	1. Hunk

**Author's Note:**

> Each character's daemon is named after the color of their Lion, but in different languages. I will include a link to the pronunciation in each second! However, I am NOT a linguist (far, far from it in fact), and most of these were taken in good faith after checking several online resources. If you notice any of them or incorrect or off somehow, please don't hesitate to tell me so I can fix them right away!
> 
> First up, for the pronunciation of Hunk's Daemon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88kSfdExn-Q#t=00m15s (or 15 seconds in if the link time fails).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First up, for the pronunciation of Hunk's Daemon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88kSfdExn-Q#t=00m15s (or 15 seconds in if the link time fails).
> 
> Samasama: http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/pictures/50000/velka/golden-retriever-dog-1370773977VyS.jpg

Hunk knew his Daemon settling at ten was weird. Kind of hard not to when all of his older relatives would talk about it really loudly in the next room and then fall silent when he and Samasama came in together. They all gave him the same encouraging smiles, but Hunk could sense the nervousness behind them. They said he’d somehow grown up too fast or fretted that he thought he was settled when he wasn’t, and would be heartbroken when Samasama suddenly changed forms.

“I think they’re being ridiculous,” Samasama told him with a shrug, or as much as a dog could. Hunk was pretty impressed, and he was pretty sure his family would realize how awesome Samasama was if they stopped panicking and paid attention. “We know who we are.”

“Exactly, we’re ahead of the game, not behind,” Hunk agreed as he lead Samasama onto the back porch so they could look out at the beach, the sand was the same dusty yellow as Samasama’s coat. “It’s not my fault that I know myself.”

“It might be because I’m a dog,” Samasama said after a moment, the words hanging heavily between them. Hunk frowned, eyebrows scrunching together as he considered Samasama’s words. He might have a point. Hunk came from a family of doctors and community leaders, serious and well respected no matter how much fun they were at home with Hunk. Their daemons were typically eagles, hawks, and lynxes, with the occasional owl or fox thrown in for good measure. His mother had been a bit of an outsider with her otter Fiafia, but they proved themselves to be as hardworking as they were playful.

A dog though, that had never happened, unless there were some black sheepdog relatives Hunk didn’t know about lurking in the family tree. And a golden retriever on top of that? The dog most known for being friendly and laidback, honest to a fault with no leadership goals?

Well yeah, Hunk could see why his family was worried. But it didn’t make them _right_ to be.

“Maybe, but they’re gonna have to deal,” Hunk whispered confidently as he leaned into Samasama’s side. He let out a small whine of agreement before laying his head in Hunk’s lap. “Just because I don’t want to be a leader doesn’t mean I don’t want to have a totally cool job or that I’m not a genius.”

“No, it just means we can put others first,” Samasama assured him, glancing warily through the window at his family’s daemons.

Hunk is pretty sure he and Samasama proved that point loud and clear when he became the first person in his family accepted into The Galaxy Garrison at sixteen, his teachers all commending him for his teamwork in their recommendation letters.


	2. Shiro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the Pronunciation of Shiro's daemon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkjMb4_Zxcw#01m21s (or click 21 seconds in)!
> 
> Kuro: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Black_Trie_H%C3%BCndin_mit_11_Monaten.jpg

Shiro’s Daemon settled when he was thirteen, the age expected of someone like him. Young enough to mean he wasn’t unsure of himself, but not so young that it was strange or off-putting to the people around him. A sign he was confident and self-assured, but not at all stunted. The shape of his Daemon was also of no surprise. That is, except to Shiro.

“Raven!” Shiro called out, running through the yard, his mom watching from where she leaned against the doorway. She looked leaner than ever in the shadows, her smile the only thing that still loomed large in Shiro’s eyes. Shiro glanced up at Kuro flying overhead, spiraling down toward him with an expression Shiro imagined was as pained as his own. 

Soon it could just be the two of them. Shiro had been preparing for this moment, but it was at the same time impossible. He wasn’t ready to be an adult, to have responsibilities thrust on him. He didn’t know how, even after months of practice.

“We’ll have to learn how,” Kuro murmured softly as she landed on his shoulders, feathers rustling in his hair. “It will take time. Mom always says –“

“Patience yields focus, but I’m not patient,” Shiro whispered, fingers smoothing down her feathers for a moment before she launched off his shoulder. “I need to learn, now. We need to become the kind of son mom can be proud of.”

“You already are, and we’re more patient than you think,” Kuro huffed as she reached the ground and shifted, becoming a large dog, coat a long and luxurious sable. It’s not the first time Kuro had become a dog, but usually they were swift, mostly greyhounds. Right now she looked liked the kind of sheepdog Shiro used to see when mom visited his grandpa on the farm, somehow at once cuddly and serious in their nature. 

Shiro couldn’t help sitting down in the grass, pressing his face into her fur to hide the scared expression and tears gathering in his eyes from his mother. She didn’t know Shiro figured out just how sick she was weeks ago. “I’m scared, Kuro.”

“I know, but we’ll be okay. We’ll take care of each other,” Kuro promised, gently licking his face for a moment. Then she stopped, gaze still as Shiro pulled back a little to meet hers with a confused one of his own. “I think this it.”

Shiro cocked his head, frowning a little through his tears before he realized. Settled. As an Australian Shepherd. Dogs didn’t have a good reputation, often regarded as a sign that someone was a follower and subservient, though that stigma had fallen away in recent years. And while Shiro liked being in groups, he was anything but a follower. But after a moment he thought back to what his grandpa said about his dogs. He always said they were protective and active in herding the other animals, but also patient and good-natured. Natural leaders and more than capable of working through difficult situations, and Shiro desperately needed to be both right now. 

“It’s perfect,” Shiro murmured before burying himself in her fur again, tears falling as she nuzzled him. Shiro knew that they’d get through this together and someday, when they were older and more capable, they’d teach someone else the same lessons mom taught them.


	3. Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to pronounce Lance's daemon's name: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB7wGP3uZf4
> 
> Azul: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ee/Russian_blue_head_sm.jpg (but twice that size)

Lance wished Azul settled a little earlier, just because there’s something anxiety inducing about being one of the only kids here who still had an unsettled daemon at the Garrison (not the only one, Keith the golden boy did too, but his was always something ridiculous and over the top like a vulture or a tiger, like he had to lord his daemon over them along with his natural talent). Eighteen wasn’t _that_ old to have an unsettled daemon, but it was getting there, especially at the Garrison where decisiveness was highly valued.

Hunk had been ten when Samasama settled for Godsakes! Lance was nearly twice his age.

“And we’re not going to settle if you keep worrying so much about it,” Azul snorted from where she sat on his shoulder, currently a rather large parrot. Lance favored brightly colored birds in public, to add to his cool factor as a pilot. He didn’t think it was that effective, but Hunk always complimented Azul on her wings and that was something. “We’re going to be something cool.”

“If we were really cool, we probably wouldn’t be a cargo pilot,” Lance admitted as he pressed his head into the palms of his hands, curling into his bed a little bit. He was glad Hunk was still in class. Lance hated when Hunk walked in on him in the middle of an existential crisis. “We might not be good enough to make it here.”

“Yes we are,” Azul insisted as she brushed against his cheek, flying down and turning into a rabbit as she landed in his lap. He ran a hand across her light brown fur, her ears twitching a little as he bit his lip. “Shiro’s friend Matt got promoted from a cargo pilot to a fighter pilot right in time to prepare them for their next mission.”

“Yeah, but we want to be a Shiro, Azul, not a Matt,” Lance pointed out, running a hand through his hair in frustration, leaving it pointing up in several directions. He really needed a better gel to go with his new face cream. “No offense to Matt. But –“

“You want to be good at something,” Azul finished for him, curling against his chest as she shifted again, this time turning into a large yet lean grey cat, her fur sleek underneath his fingertips. It was somehow both one of the plainest and most beautiful forms she took when no one else was around to see them. “Prove that you belong on a team and can make your dreams come true, especially after your family supported you so much.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Lance admitted softly, shrugging a little as he ran his hand across her back, her spine relaxing as he did. He knew he was a good pilot and an even better shot, that his plans usually worked in training simulations even when he crashed. Lance just wished someone else would notice. Someone like Shiro who could be his advocate, or even Keith so their rivalry would finally exist outside of his head. “I just want some sign that I’m capable, you know?”

“Well, I think you just got it,” Azul said, grinning a little as she looked up at him, gaze twinkling as her tail batted his arm. Lance raised an eyebrow because he had no idea what she was talking about –

Oh. No, no way! Lance stood up suddenly, Azul gracefully jumping to the floor and staring up at him as he paced across the room. “A cat? You think a cat is going to impress the Garrison? No offense, Azul, you know I love your cat form –“

“And so will everyone else if you let them,” Azul cut him off with a grin as she nuzzled his legs, glancing up at him knowingly. “Cats are clever, agile, and loyal, and they can be a lot of fun too. We don’t need all those bright colors and wings to stand out, Lance. Our talents and personality speak for themselves. As does your mouth.”

“Hey! Like you’re any better?” Lance snorted, picking up Azul and playfully glaring at her as she batted him against the cheek with her paw.

“No, but that’s why I’m you,” Azul told him as she curled into his arms, preening a little as she licked her paw. “And give it a little time and we’ll find our place at the Garrison or somewhere even better, Lance. I know it.”

It turned out Azul was dead on with somewhere better.


	4. Pidge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge's daemon's name is Chloe, so she doesn't have a pronunciation video (I actually did look for one but all the results were clips of Dance Mom).

Pidge can’t say anything about how or when Chloe settled wasn't a surprise. Matt and her dad disappearing had been the most defining moment of her life and she couldn’t imagine one being much worse. And they’d always favored small rodents. Chloe had spent most of her time as rats, gerbils, hamsters, anything that could fit in Pidge’s pocket as she worked on her scientific experiments. Sometimes she’d been a bird or a monkey to offer her an extra mouth or hand, but they always came back to rodents.

Never mice though. Pidge had asked once, out of curiosity, and Chloe, then a kangaroo just to try a new size, had shrugged and said, “I think we’re going to meet someone with mice someday, and I don’t know want to step on her toes. It’s a feeling you have, not a theory, though.”

(Pidge was left confused and frustrated about that and the use of the plural for nearly a year and a half before they met Allura and her five part soul. Pidge still didn’t understand the science there since Coran only had an Altean Hummingbird).

“I’m hiding the tiny parts in the bag,” Chloe called as she picked up a shiny piece of metal, scurrying across Pidge’s bedroom, her tail bouncing. A squirrel was where they’d settled on that fateful morning, curled up in Pidge’s arms as she stormed out of the Garrison, determined to find her own answers. It made perfect sense to Pidge. Squirrels were hoarders and Pidge needed to collect and hide tiny bits of electronics more than ever. 

“Good thinking, Chloe, I’ll find a few more hiding places after I take care of my hair,” Pidge called, her words met with an eerie silence as she walked across her light green throw rug and then onto the cold porcelain of her bathroom tile. Chloe followed a moment after, glancing up at her nervously. “What?”

“Your hair won’t look like mine after this,” Chloe murmured, shaking her tail pointedly. Pidge raised an eyebrow in disbelief. That’s what they were worried about?

“Hair grows back,” Pidge dismissed as she tied it into a loose ponytail, picking up a pair of industrial strength scissors from her bedside table. She wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. Pidge didn’t care about her hair; but looking more like Matt right now was going to hurt on some level. Even she could recognize that. 

“There’s no going back from this,” Chloe warned one last time as she ran over to Pidge’s side. The ponytail fell on the floor with no sound, Pidge’s hair spreading across her cheeks in awkward angles. “We probably should have gone to a barber.”

“No time and mom would’ve gotten suspicious,” Pidge insisted as Chloe crawled up her arm to nudge her cheek softly. “She’ll forgive us when we find Matt and dad.”

“Then let’s go back to the Garrison and save our family,” Chloe answered, confident and determined as Pidge grabbed her bag. Neither could fathom that they would end up saving so much more along the way.


	5. Keith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to pronounce the name of Keith's daemon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEWsmHCItsg
> 
> Bbalgan: http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/warrior-cat-clans/images/5/55/Beetail.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140527223159

Keith was eighteen and brash and confident, following his every impulse, which were almost always right (or at least right in the world of the Garrison, where Keith risking or even sacrificing his life in the simulations was seen as a positive). So no one could understand why his daemon wasn’t settled, refused to settle no matter how many animals Keith had her try on.

Keith knew. They couldn’t settle, not when he didn’t know himself at all. He had no past, no present outside of Shiro. Shiro was his lifeline, his only friend, the only person who saw more than just a soldier when they looked at Keith. And now he was gone.

Temporarily gone, Keith reminded himself as he curled against Bbalgan, currently a panther that took up the entire couch in their shack. She was lucky Keith still hadn’t had his growth spurt yet. “I can’t believe you got us thrown out of the Garrison.”

“Me?” Keith snapped, pouting slightly as he curled against her more, her tail draping around his waist impetuously. “You’re the one who lunged at the administration while you were a liger. “

“And you’re the one who climbed on top of a desk to try and punch the one who said Shiro was a necessary sacrifice,” Bbalgan reminded him with a huff as she batted him slightly, her expression unreadable as she glanced at Keith. He wondered if he was this annoying to everyone around him. No wonder that friendly cargo pilot from class always looked mad whenever Keith got up the courage to approach him. “You know we’ll never see him again or become a pilot now.”

“No, but we’ll find Shiro,” Keith answered, gaze narrowing as he looked over at their theory wall. It was still loose at best, the threads not lining up the way Keith needed them to make a pattern, but it was something to hold onto in the meantime. “I don’t regret it.”

“Of course not,” Bbalgan answered as she leapt from the couch, shifting into a lynx. “Neither did I.”

Three weeks later, they’re on the run with the friendly cargo pilot whose name he took too long to remember and now hates him and his two friends. Shiro was being held up precariously by the smallest one. From where she was flying as a vulture above, Bbalgan looked down on him pointedly. Things definitely weren’t going according to plan. But as he drove off the cliff, Keith couldn’t help smirking at her, because since when had plans ever been their thing? Her ensuing caw assured him that Bbalgan agreed.

Bbalgan shifted again after Keith finally rescued Shiro, barely holding back the urge to embrace him or cry into his shoulder. But they didn’t do that; Keith didn’t get to do that with anyone. That kind of vulnerability was a weakness and Keith couldn’t afford them, not even with Shiro.

This time she was . . . small. Smaller than she’d ever been in Keith’s life. A small, ridiculously fluffy cat that was half the size of Lance’s and easily fit in his lap. “Bbalgan, what are you doing?”

“I – we need to be discreet if we’re getting to get to that Blue Lion after the stunt we just pulled,” Bbalgan answered, lightly batting him in the face for being so oblivious.

“You thought that far ahead?” Keith asked in mild disbelief as he followed the others out the door, shaking his head as Bbalgan shifted nervously in his arms. Something didn’t feel right, his own heart sinking in his chest a little, but they didn’t have time to deal with that now.

It turned out they didn’t have time for nearly two weeks between the discovery of Voltron and their new roles as Paladins and Lance constantly goading him into reactions. Keith collapsed onto the couch with Bbalgan curled against his chest, her fur tickling his cheek. He could fall asleep right now.

“What’s with your daemon?” Lance called suddenly; gaze curious and just a little suspicious as he leaned toward them, Keith instinctively hugging Bbalgan a little tighter. Keith had always been afraid of someone touching her, hurting her when he couldn’t protect her.

“What do you mean?” Keith asked, knitting his brows in confusion as he glanced up at Lance through his bangs. Lance bit his lip and gave Keith an unreadable look before taking a deep breath, as though he knew he was about to say the wrong thing but couldn’t stop himself from going through with it.

“Why is she so small?” Lance asked a little too loudly, drawing Shiro’s, Hunk’s, and Pidge’s attention to them. Great. “Usually she’s some over the top cat or a vulture because you’re dead inside or whatever emo thing you think.”

“Because your parrots were so _subtle_ ,” Keith scoffed as Azul glanced at him with intrigue, slowly inching closer to Bbalgan. He frowned as he considered Lance’s words though, glancing down at Bbalgan. “But Lance is right, you don’t need to be discreet anymore. We’re in space. Be a lion or something.”

Bbalgan looked up at him, ears flattening against her forehead as she slid from his lap. The sinking feeling was back as he stood up, feeling shaky as Bbalgan refused to meet his gaze. “I can’t. We settled.”

Keith stared at Bbalgan, at the small, fluffy cat in front of him, with her big ears that gave away her – his – every mood and almost desperate expression, and Keith did the only thing he knew how to do. He ran.


	6. Keith and Lance

It’s not for an hour that Keith heard the knock on his door, expecting Shiro there with a lecture about not running from himself, about how a good teammate, a good leader (and Keith didn’t want to lead but he wanted Shiro to be his mentor, so here they were) didn’t hide from himself. Instead he found Azul and Lance.

Lance, who was carrying Bbalgan in his arms. “You’re not supposed to touch her without permission.”

“I gave permission,” Bbalgan answered softly, eyes still not meeting his as Lance stepped inside the room. Lance was though, expression angry yet almost sympathetic as he sat down on the bed next to Keith, raising an eyebrow as he placed Bbalgan between them.

“Are you going to apologize or what?” Lance asked, glaring at Keith as Bbalgan kept her face down, looking equally touched and embarrassed. Keith couldn’t help but feel the same way, cheeks flushing the longer Lance held his gaze. “Look, I know finding out you have a cat can be surprising, but no one should just straight up abandon their daemon. That’s cold.”

“I – I just don’t understand, you’ve always been big,” Keith spat out, fully knowing he sounded like an idiot. Words had never been their specialty. “Why’d that change? I didn’t change.”

“I was big to protect you,” Bbalgan answered as she nudged his arm a little, Keith not being able to stop himself from leaning over to press his face in her fur. “But that’s not who you are, not entirely anyway.”

“But then shouldn’t you at least be like a bobcat?” Keith asked, and Bbalgan actually nipped his face a little, earning a sharp laugh from Lance and a glare from Keith.

“Cats are still predators,” Azul called to him from the floor, where she was entangling herself between their legs. Keith glanced at Lance, who just shrugged because apparently he didn’t care about someone else touching his daemon.

“Right, I get that, but why would I be a cat?” Keith asked, causing Azul to look away in exaggerated frustration, Lance shrugging apologetically like that wasn’t his reaction too. Bbalgan climbed in his lap though, pushing on his chest and giving him the same look he gave her right before he risked his life doing something brave but also terribly stupid. “Bbalgan?”

“You’re very loyal and protective of your chosen people, like a cat,” Bbalgan said, clearly having paid more attention in daemon studies than Keith ever had. Then Bbalgan dropped her tail before stiffening her entire body as though willing herself to continue. “And cats are affectionate and you want friends but you’re afraid of rejection, and you want to tell Lance you thought he was cool –“

“Are you hugging me?” Keith snapped, face turning the same red as his jacket as Lance wrapped an arm around his shoulder, Azul leaping onto the bed to nuzzle into Bbalgan’s side. Keith couldn’t believe she’d betrayed him like that.

“Keith, you’re my rival, the bravest, most impulsive person I’ve met. You risked your life on a daily basis at the Garrison for literally no reason,” Lance said, tone growing stronger and more assured with each word. Keith couldn’t help biting his lip in confusion because so far Lance hadn’t sounded _this_ excited to insult him. “You shouldn’t be afraid of the fact you’re apparently also adorable and like me. We’re gonna make an awesome and frankly ridiculously handsome team.”

“Trust me, you’re getting rid of the last part fast,” Keith murmured even as he leaned into the hug, earning an obnoxiously smug smirk from Lance. Only the kindness in his gaze made Keith give in and let his head fall against Lance’s shoulder. Keith gazed down at Bbalgan, who had her body pressed up against Azul’s, both of them looking more content than Keith had felt in awhile.

Maybe being a cat was a blessing in disguise after all.


End file.
